Cabinet approves Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority to coordinate transport planning

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the setting up of an Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA), a Special Purpose Vehicle aimed at bringing greater coordination to transport and logistics planning across the country.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said ITLA will function as the national apex institution for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring, policy support and data analytics. The move is aimed at addressing fragmented planning and implementation across different transport ministries and agencies.

ITLA will prepare a comprehensive National Transport Master Plan with a planning horizon of 10 years or more. The plan will cover roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility and logistics.

The authority will also evaluate short-term sectoral plans of around five years and annual plans of transport ministries to ensure they are aligned with the National Transport Master Plan and support the development of multimodal infrastructure.

ITLA will undertake technical appraisals of central government infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more. Financial appraisal of such projects will continue to be carried out through existing mechanisms, according to the government.

The authority will also monitor the implementation of transport and infrastructure projects above the ₹500-crore threshold, help resolve issues through a coordinated mechanism and conduct post-implementation impact assessments.

A key component of ITLA will be the creation of a National Transport Data Repository (NTDR), which will bring together transport and logistics data from multiple sources. These will include GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan, GPS-based systems and urban traffic management systems.

The data will be used for analytics, including freight-flow and origin-destination analysis, to support transport planning, project monitoring and impact assessment.

ITLA will also advise and assist in the review and updation of the National Logistics Policy, 2022. Its other responsibilities will include capacity building, training and skilling in the logistics sector, as well as promoting research and innovation in transport and logistics.

The government said the new authority is expected to strengthen multimodal connectivity, improve infrastructure efficiency, reduce logistics costs and enhance India's global logistics competitiveness as part of the country's Vision 2047.

Vaishnaw said the move comes as India's economic growth is increasing demand for logistics, with the country developing highways, railway lines, waterways, airports and ports to meet that demand.